Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to be associated with the University for my child to go to Campus Creche?
No. We provide a service to the wider community as well as to staff and students of the University of Waikato.

What are your ratios?
There are strict guidelines covering the number of staff required per child in attendance.

Ratio list for Campus Creche

Ages

Creche Staff/Child Ratio

Licensed Ratio

Whekī

3 months to 18 months

1:4

1:5

Kōwhai

15 months to 2½ years

1:5

1:5

Maire

2½years to 3¾ years

1:8

1:10

Kauri

3¾ years to 6 years

1:9

1:10

Fraser

Under 2

1:4

1:4

Over 2

1:7

1:7

Are your staff police checked?
Yes, all our staff including relievers are police checked by Campus Creche. Our teachers are police vetted through the New Zealand Teachers Council and our untrained staff are vetted through New Zealand Police.

Do I need to bring nappies?
Yes you do. We do not provide nappies. This is the responsibility of the parents/caregivers.

Are all meals provided?
Creche provides morning and afternoon tea, which can consist of any of the following:Morning Tea - sandwiches with cheese, honey, jam or marmite, home baking, cheese on toast, fresh fruit and water.Afternoon Tea - crackers, carrots, dips, mouse traps, cheese cubes, pikelets, scones, raisins, fresh fruit, biscuits, and water.
Parents/caregivers are to provide lunch for their child. Creche has many children from different nationalities and providing a wide range of food can become logistically difficult.

What should we pack for lunch?
Healthy food; eg. yoghurt, sandwiches, fruit, left over dinners to be heated and a little treat if you would like to.

Do I need to send a drink bottle?
You are welcome to, but we give the children a drink of water at morning tea, lunch time and at afternoon tea. The older children help themselves to water when they are thirsty.

What do we need to send along with our child?
Lunch, nappies, sun hat/warm hat, gumboots in the winter and a spare set of clothes. Please label all your children's belongings.

Does Creche have a structured routine?
Creche has routines that we follow on a daily basis. In the Whekī centre staff are flexible letting babies follow their own natural rhythms. As children become older, the centres follow routines at certain times of the day and at other times the children are able to choose activities that they would like to participate in.

What time is lunch?
This varies from centre to centre. Whekī and Kōwhai have lunch at 11.30 am. The older centres are between 11.45 and 12.30pm.

Do the children go to bed or have a rest?
This varies from centre to centre. In the Whekī, babies go to bed as and when required. Kōwhai children go to bed around 12.00 pm, Maire children go to bed around 12.15 pm (some Maire children stay up) and Kauri children go to bed around 12.30 pm, with the older children staying up.

What do you do if my child won't go to sleep?
We won't force them to go to sleep. We will take your child with us into the sleep room and keep him/her on our laps until he/she is ready to go to sleep. Sometimes this can take several days before the child feels comfortable enough to sleep.

Are the children supervised/checked while they are asleep?
All children are checked every 10 minutes and this is recorded. Staff remain in sleep rooms until all children are asleep. Babies in Whekī are checked more regularly and there are monitors on at all times.

Do the children have their own cots/beds?
Yes, they do. Staff are particular that children have their own bed and linen. The linen is washed weekly and the linen is supplied by Creche.

If I have two children in different centres will they be able to see each other?
We try to enable siblings to visit each other regularly but at times this can depend on our staff/child ratios at the time.

How do the "Centre Meeting team" know about my child's daily needs?
We have a communication book for centre staff to relay all relevant information. In addition to the Centre Meeting teachers, Angela Minnear and Denise Thomas, the team also consists of regular centre staff who know your child and their routines. The Centre Meeting team will also complete this book for the centre staff and Angela has a debriefing with centre staff prior to leaving.